NHL 2021 - Playoff Day 24

Another two game day sees...

The Boston Bruins hosting the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Tuukka Rask are the veteran goalies. Boston led off in the first period with a David Pastrnak goal, his sixth of the postseason, made possible by Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand. New York tied it on a Mathew Barzal power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Noah Dobson and Jordan Eberle. The Islanders took the lead in the second period with a Kyle Palmieri power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, with assists provided by Josh Bailey and Nick Leddy. The Bruins tied it on a Marchand goal, his sixth of the playoffs, passed from Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy. New York retook the lead with a Bailey goal, his fifth of the postseason, helped along by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anthony Beauvillier. The Islanders added on with an Eberle power play goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Barzal and Dobson. Jeremy Swayman replaced Rask in goal for the third period. New York extended the lead as Brock Nelson scored his fourth of the postseason, thanks to Beauvillier and Adam Pelech. Boston got one back with a Pastrnak power play goal, his second of the game and seventh of the playoffs, coming off of McAvoy and Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins got closer with a David Krejci goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Craig Smith and Mike Reilly. This only made it 5-4, the final, with the three stars going to Bailey, Barzal, and Pastrnak, while Eberle, Dobson, Beauvillier, Marchand and McAvoy get the honorable mentions. The Islanders return home with a 3-2 series lead. 

Along to Montreal, as the Canadiens host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Carey Price tend the twines. Montreal began in the first period with an Erik Gustafsson power play goal, powered by Nick Suzuki and Tyler Toffoli. The Canadiens added on with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, his second of the postseason, via Brett Kulak and Brendan Gallagher. Winnipeg got on the board in the second period with a Logan Stanley goal, assisted by Jordie Benn and Kyle Connor. The Jets tied it on a Stanley goal, his second of the game, coming off of Connor and Mason Appleton. Montreal won 3-2 in overtime with a Toffoli goal, his fourth of the playoffs, dished from Cole Caufield. The three stars were Toffoli, Stanley, and Connor. The Canadiens swept the series 4-0 and will play in the Stanley Cup Semifinals versus either the Colorado Avalanche or Vegas Golden Knights. 

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NHL 2021 - Playoff Day 23

We've got a pair of games today, beginning with...

The Montreal Canadiens welcoming the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Carey Price tend the twines. Montreal led off in the first period with a Corey Perry goal, his third of the postseason, via Eric Staal and Joel Armia. The Canadiens added on with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, fueled by Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher in the second period. Montreal extended the lead as Armia scored a shorthanded and unassisted goal, his third of the playoffs. Winnipeg got on the board with an Adam Lowry goal, his second of the postseason, passed form Mathieu Perreault and Mason Appleton. The Canadiens answered in the third period with a Nick Suzuki power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by Cole Caufield and Tyler Toffoli. Montreal iced it at 5-1 with an Armia shorthanded empty net goal, his second of the game and fourth of the postseason, set up by Joel Edmundson. The three stars were Armia, Price (26 for 27 in saves), and Lehkonen. The Canadiens lead the series 3-0 and can end it Monday. 

Out in Vegas, the Golden Knights bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Philipp Grubauer and Marc-Andre Fleury guard the cages. Colorado began in the first period with a Brandon Saad goal, his sixth of the postseason, assisted by J.T. Compher and Andre Burakovsky. Vegas tied it on a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by William Karlsson. The Golden Knights took the lead in the second period with a Max Pacioretty goal, his third of the postseason, coming off of Mark Stone and Zach Whitecloud. Vegas added on with a Marchessault power play goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, powered by Alex Pietrangelo and Karlsson. The Golden Knights extended the lead in the third period as Marchessault finished his hat trick with his fifth of the postseason, thanks to Reilly Smith and Karlsson. Vegas padded the lead on a Patrick Brown goal, his second of the playoffs, with helpers from Ryan Reaves and William Carrier. This stood for a 5-1 win, with the three stars going to Marchessault, Karlsson, and Pacioretty. The series is tied at 2-2 heading back to Colorado. 

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NHL 2021 - Playoff Day 22

Two games for today, beginning with...

The Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Petr Mrazek and Andrei Vasilevskiy patrol the creases. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with a Brayden Point goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Ondrej Palat and Erik Cernak. Carolina tied it in the second period on a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his second of the year, via Andrei Svechnikov and Jordan Staal. The Hurricanes took the lead with a Jesper Fast goal, courtesy of Jordan Martinook and Jaccob Slavin. The Lightning retied it on a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Alex Killorn and Point. Carolina retook the lead with a Dougie Hamilton goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Sebastian Aho and Svechnikov. The Hurricanes added on with a Slavin goal, passed from Cedric Paquette and Steven Lorentz. Tampa Bay pulled back with a Nikita Kucherov power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, with assists provided by Stamkos and Victor Hedman. The Lightning tied it as Tyler Johnson scored, thanks to Ross Colton and Pat Maroon. Tampa Bay pulled ahead on a Stamkos power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the playoffs, with helpers from Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli. The Lightning extended the lead as Kucherov scored his second of the game and fifth of the postseason, with the help of Palat. The final held at 6-4, with the three stars going to Stamkos, Kucherov, and Point, while Palat, Slavin and Svechnikov get the honorable mentions. The Lightning are up 3-1 in the series. 

Along to New York, as the Islanders host the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Semyon Varlamov man the nets. Boston got going in the second period with a David Krejci power play goal, powered by Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. New York tied it on a Kyle Palmieri goal, his fifth of the postseason, via Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle. The Islanders took the lead in the third period with a Barzal goal, his second of the playoffs, passed from Scott Mayfield and Noah Dobson. New York added on with a Casey Cizikas empty net goal, his second of the postseason, set up by Cal Clutterbuck. The Islanders iced it at 4-1 with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau empty net goal, his third of the playoffs, with a lone assist by Leo Komarov. The three stars were Barzal, Palmieri, and Varlamov (28 for 29 in saves). The series heads back to Boston tied at 2-2. 

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NHL 2021 - Playoff Day 21

Two games on tonight, beginning with...

The Winnipeg Jets welcoming the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Connor Hellebuyck tend the twines. Montreal got going in the second period with a Tyler Toffoli shorthanded goal, his third of the postseason, set up by Shea Weber and Artturi Lehkonen. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Price (30 save shutout), Toffoli, and Hellebuyck (23 for 24 in saves). The Canadiens head home with a 2-0 series lead. 

Out in Vegas, the Golden Knights bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Philipp Grubauer and Marc-Andre Fleury guard the cages. Vegas dented the scoreboard in the second period with a William Karlsson goal, his third of the postseason, via Alex Pietrangelo and Alec Martinez. Colorado tied it on a Carl Soderberg goal, passed from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Kiefer Sherwood. The Avalanche took the lead with a Mikko Rantanen power play goal in the third period, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by Cale Makar and Gabriel Landeskog. The Golden Knights retied it on a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Reilly Smith and Nicolas Hague. Vegas took the lead with a Max Pacioretty goal, his second of the playoffs, fueled by Nick Holden and Mark Stone. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Pacioretty, Marchessault, and Karlsson. The Avalanche remain ahead 2-1 in the series. 

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NHL 2021 - Playoff Day 20

Two games tonight, beginning with...

The New York Islanders hosting the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Semyon Varlamov man the nets. Boston began in the first period with a Craig Smith goal, his second of the postseason, via Taylor Hall and Matt Grzelcyk. New York tied it on a Mathew Barzal goal, courtesy of Kyle Palmieri and Ryan Pulock. The Bruins won 2-1 in overtime with a Brad Marchand goal, his fifth of the playoffs, guided in by Charlie McAvoy and Patrice Bergeron. The three stars were Marchand, Rask (28 for 29 in saves), and Smith. The Bruins retook the series lead at 2-1. 

The Tampa Bay Lightning host the Carolina Hurricanes. Petr Mrazek and Andrei Vasilevskiy protect the nets. Carolina got going in the second period with a Brett Pesce goal, his second of the postseason, via Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho. The Hurricanes added on with an Aho goal, his sixth of the playoffs, passed from Teuvo Teravainen and Jaccob Slavin. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Brayden Point power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. The Lightning tied it with an Alex Killorn power play goal, his sixth of the playoffs, with assists provided by Kucherov and Point. Carolina won 3-2 in overtime with an Aho power play goal, his second of the game and seventh of the postseason, assisted by Teravainen and Dougie Hamilton. The three stars were Aho, Teravainen, and Point, while Kucherov gets an honorable mention. The Lightning remain ahead 2-1 in the series. 

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NHL 2021 - Playoff Day 19

Back to two games tonight, beginning with...

The Winnipeg Jets welcoming the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Connor Hellebuyck tend the twines. Montreal opened in the first period with a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal, his fourth of the season, via Jeff Petry and Erik Gustafsson. The Canadiens added on with an Eric Staal goal, coming off of Corey Perry and Joel Edmundson. Winnipeg got on the board with an Adam Lowry shorthanded goal, going in unassisted. Montreal replied with a Nick Suzuki goal, his third of the playoffs, passed from Edmundson and Cole Caufield. The Jets got one back in the third period with a Derek Forbort goal, assisted by Pierre-Luc Dubois and Mathieu Perreault. The Canadiens replied with a Brendan Gallagher power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Shea Weber and Petry. Winnipeg pulled back with a Kyle Connor goal, his third of the playoffs, fueled by Nikolaj Ehlers and Neal Pionk. Montreal won 5-3 with a Jake Evans empty net goal, set up by Tyler Toffoli and Staal. The three stars went to Staal, Edmundson, and Petry. The Canadiens lead the series 1-0. 

Out in Colorado, the Avalanche bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Philipp Grubauer guard the cages. Colorado started in the first period with a Brandon Saad goal, his fifth of the postseason, via Samuel Girard and Ryan Graves. Vegas tied it on an Alec Martinez power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Max Pacioretty and Shea Theodore. The Avalanche retook the lead on a Tyson Jost power play goal, his second of the postseason, with assists provided by Girard and Devon Toews. The Golden Knights tied it on a Reilly Smith goal, his second of the playoffs, fueled by Jonathan Marchessault and Theodore. Colorado iced it at 3-2 with a Mikko Rantanen power play goal in overtime, his third of the postseason, helped along by Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. The three stars were Rantanen, Girard, and Theodore. The Avalanche take a 2-0 series lead with them on the road. 

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NHL 2021 - Playoff Day 18

Just one game tonight, as the Carolina Hurricanes host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Alex Nedeljkovic man the nets. Tampa Bay got going in the second period with an Alex Killorn goal, his fifth of the postseason, via Steven Stamkos. The Lightning added on in the third period with an Anthony Cirelli goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Victor Hedman and Erik Cernak. Carolina got on the board with an Andrei Svechnikov goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Jordan Staal and Teuvo Teravainen. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Vasilevskiy (31 for 32 in saves), Killorn, and Cirelli. The Lightning carry a 2-0 series lead back home with them. 

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